Snapping
turtles are large turtles and may weigh up to nearly 50 pounds. The carapace
may exceed 17 inches long and is usually brown. The plastron is small and
cross-shaped.

Snappers
are found in many aquatic habitats, from clean, fresh water to sewage lagoons.

Snapping
turtles mate from April through October and about 30 golf ball-sized eggs are
deposited in May or June. There is an incubation period of about 80 days.
Newly hatched snappers are about one and a half inches long.

Snapping
turtles are found in every county in the state. It is the only turtle known to
occur in the elevations of the upland forests in West Virginia.